History of Shropshire

Shropshirewas established during the division ofSaxonMerciainto shires in the 10th century. It is first mentioned in 1006. After theNorman Conquestit experienced significant development, following the granting of the principal estates of the county to eminent Normans, such as Roger De Montgomery and his son Robert de Bellême.

TheCoalbrookdalearea of the county is designated "the birthplace of theIndustrial Revolution",due to significant technological developments that happened there.

Etymology

The origin of the name "Shropshire" is the Old English "Scrobbesbyrigscīr" (literallyShrewsburyshire), perhaps taking its name fromRichard Scrob(or FitzScrob orScrope), the builder ofRichard's Castlenear what is now the town ofLudlow.However, theNormanswho ruled England after 1066 found both "Scrobbesbyrig" and "Scrobbesbyrigscir" difficult to pronounce so they softened them to "Salopesberia" and "Salopescira".Salopis the abbreviation of these.

When acouncilfor the county was set up in 1888, it was called "Salop County Council". The name was never popular, withLudlowMPSir Jasper Moreraising an amendment to the 1972Local Government Billto rename the county "Shropshire"– at the time the council itself opposed the change, although later, in 1980, would exercise its power to legally change the name of the county.

The Timesnoted in a 19 February 1980 article about the name change that "there was no record of why the name Salop County Council was adopted". The decision to make the change was taken on 1 March 1980, at a special meeting of the council, with 48 votes in favour versus five against. It came into effect on 1 April.

Another reason why Salop was unfavourable was the fact that if you add the letter 'E' and make it Salope, this is aFrenchword which means 'Bitch' or 'Loose Woman'.

The term "Salopian", derived from "Salop", is still used to mean "from Shropshire". Salop can also mean the county town,Shrewsbury,and in historical recordsShropshireis described as "the county of Salop" and Shrewsbury as "the town of Salop". There is a reference in theEncyclopædia Britannica(1948) to Shropshire being called Sloppesbury, and this name being shortened to Salop.

The Latin motto ofFloreat Salopia(may Shropshire flourish) was originally used by the borough of Shrewsbury, and was adopted in 1896 bySalop (or Shropshire) County Councilwhen they received a grant of acoat of arms.The motto is now used in a number of other emblems associated with the county.

County extent

The border with Wales was defined in the first half of the 16th century – thehundredsof Oswestry (includingOswestry) and Pimhill (includingWem), and part ofChirburyhad prior to theLaws in Wales Actformed various Lordships in theWelsh Marches.Clun hundred went briefly toMontgomeryshireat its creation in 1536, but was returned to Shropshire in 1546.

The present dayceremonial countyboundary is almost the same as thehistoric county's.Notably there has been the removal of severalexclavesandenclaves.The largest of the exclaves wasHalesowen,which became part ofWorcestershirein 1844 (now part of theWest Midlandscounty), and the largest of the enclaves wasHerefordshire'sFarlowin south Shropshire, also transferred in 1844, to Shropshire. Alterations have been made on Shropshire's border with all neighbouring English counties over the centuries. Gains have been made to the south of Ludlow (the parish ofLudfordfrom Herefordshire), to the north of Shifnal (part ofSheriffhalesparish from Staffordshire) and to the north (the hamlet of Tittenley from Cheshire) and south (from Staffordshire) of Market Drayton.The county has lost minor tracts of land in a few places, notably north ofTenbury Wellsto Worcestershire, and nearLeintwardineto Herefordshire.

Romano-British Period

Roman ruins atViroconium Cornoviorum,photographed during excavation byFrancis Bedfordand digitally restored.

Cornovii Tribe

The entire area of modern Shropshire was included within the territory of the CelticCornoviitribe, whose capital was theWrekinhill fort.

Roman Rule

AfterRomanmilitary expansion into the area in 47 AD, the tribal territory was reorganised as a RomanCivitasand the capital was relocated toViroconium.

Pengwern & Powys

Following the collapse of the Romano-British administration, the Cornovii territory may have become part of theKingdom of Powys,but its status is obscure. Twelfth century Welsh historianGiraldus CambrensisassociatedPengwernwithShrewsbury,but its location is uncertain.

Integration with Mercia to 1066

The Saxon Kingdom of Mercia

The northern part of Shropshire was part of the territory of theWreocensæte.The southern part probably belonged to the Magonsaete.Both were absorbed by theSaxonKingdom ofMerciaby KingOffa.In 765 he constructedWatt's Dyketo defend his territory against theWelsh,and in 779, having pushed across theRiver Severn,drove the Welsh King ofPowysfromShrewsbury,he secured his conquests by a second defensive earthwork known asOffa's Dyke.(This enters Shropshire atKnighton,traverses moor and mountain byLlanymynechandOswestry,in many places forming the boundary line of the county, and finally leaves it atBronygarthand entersDenbighshire.)

Danish invasions

In the 9th and 10th centuries the district was frequently overrun by theDanes,who in 874 destroyed the famouspriory of Wenlock,said to have been founded bySt Milburga,granddaughter of KingPenda of Mercia,and in 896 wintered atQuatford.In 912Ethelfleda,the Lady of Mercia, erected a fortress atBridgnorthagainst theDanish invaders,and in the following year she erected another atChirbury.

The establishment of Shropshire

Mercia was mapped out intoshiresin the 10th century after its recovery from the Danes byEdward the Elder.The first mention of "Shropshire" in theAnglo-Saxon Chronicleoccurs under 1006, when the King crossed theThamesand wintered there. In 1016Edmund ÆthelingplunderedShrewsburyand the neighbourhood.

In 963 AD two towns are described in east Shropshire. These have now been identified asNewport,Plesc was described as having a High street, a stone quarry and a religious community. The name Plesc means fortified place or one with palisade, denoting it was of some importance.

Thirteen years before the Norman Conquest, theAnglo-Saxon Chroniclerelates that in 1053 the Welshmen slew a great many of the English wardens atWestbury,and in that year Harold ordered that any Welshman found beyond Offa's Dyke within the English pale should have his right hand cut off.

Earl Godwin,Sweyn, Harold,Queen Edith,Edward the Confessorand Edwin and Morcar are all mentioned in the Domesday Survey as having held lands in the county shortly before or during the Norman Conquest.

1066 to the late Middle Ages

Norman Conquest

Construction ofLudlow Castlewas begun shortly after the Norman invasion.

After theNorman Conquestof 1066 the principal estates inShropshirewere all bestowed onNormanproprietors, pre-eminent among whom isRoger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury,whose sonRobert de Bellesmeforfeited his possessions for rebelling againstHenry I,when the latter bestowed the Earldom on his QueenMatildafor life.

The principal landholders at the time of the Domesday Survey were theBishop of Chester,theBishop of Hereford,the church of St Remigius, Earl Roger, Osbern Fitz-Richard, Ralph de Mortimer, Roger de Laci, Hugh Lasne and Nicholas Medicus. Earl Roger had the whole profits of Condover hundred and also owned Alnodestreu hundred. The family of Fitz-Alan, ancestors of theroyal family of Stuart,had supreme jurisdiction in Oswestry hundred, which was exempt from English law.

Richard Fitz-Scrob, father of Osbern Fitz-Richard and founder ofRichard's Castle,was lord of the hundred of Overs at the time of the Conquest. Gatacre was the seat of the Gatacres. The barony of Pulverbatch passed from the Pulverbatches, and was purchased in 1193 by John de Kilpeck for £100. The Lands of Wrentnall (Ernui and Chetel before the conquest) and Great Lyth were amalgamated under The Barony of Pulverbatch (devolved over the centuries to Condover, held by various families and now, Wrentnall and Great Lyth Manorial rights belong to the present Lord of the Manors of Wrentnall and Great Lyth, also the Baron of Pulverbatch). {Farrow, M. MA Cantab, 7 April 2003, Barony of Pulverbatch, Lordships of Great Lyth and Wrentnall}. The family of Cornwall were barons ofBurfordand ofHarleyfor many centuries. The family of Le Strange owned large estates in Shropshire after the Conquest, and Fulk Lestrange claimed the right of holding pleas of the crown inWrockworthynin 1292.

Among others claiming rights of jurisdiction in their Shropshire estates in the same year were Edmund de Mortimer, the abbot ofCombermere,the prior ofLlanthony,the prior ofGreat Malvern,theBishop of Lichfield,Peter Corbett, Nicholas of Audley, the abbot ofLilleshall,John of Mortayn, Richard Fitz-Alan, the bishop of Hereford and the prior ofWenlock.

Castles

Henry 'Hotspur' Percy's rebel army was defeated by the Lancastrians at theBattle of Shrewsburyin 1403

The constant necessity of defending their territories against theWelshprompted the Norman lords of Shropshire to such activity incastle-buildingthat out of 186 castles in England no less than 32 are in this county. Shropshire became a key area within theWelsh Marches.Of the castles built in this period the most famous areLudlow,founded byWalter de Lacy;Bishop's Castle,which belonged to the Bishops of Hereford;Clun Castle,built by theFitzAlans;Cleobury Castle,built byHugh de Mortimer;Caus Castle,once the Barony of Sir PeterCorbet,from whom it came to theBarons Strafford;Rowton Castle,also a seat of theCorbets;Red Castle, a seat of the Audleys. Other castles wereBridgnorth,Corfham,Holdgate,Newport,Pulverbatch,Quatford,ShrewsburyandWem.

Forests

At this period a very large portion of Shropshire was covered by forests, the largest of which,Morfe Forest,at its origin extended at least 8 miles in length and 6 miles in width, and became a favorite hunting-ground of the English Kings. The forest ofWrekin,or 'Mount Gilbert' as it was then called, covered the whole of that hill and extended eastward as far asSheriffhales.Other forests wereStiperstones,the jurisdiction of which was from time immemorial annexed to theBarony of Caus,Wyre,Shirlot, Clee, Long Forest andBrewood.

Welsh Marches

The early political history of Shropshire is largely concerned with the constant incursions and depredations of the Welsh from across the border. Various statutory measures to keep the Welsh in check were enforced in the 14th and 15th centuries.

In 1379 Welshmen were forbidden to purchase land in the county save on certain conditions, and this enactment was reinforced in 1400. In 1379 the men of Shropshire forwarded to parliament a complaint of the felonies committed by the men of Cheshire and of the Welsh marches, and declared the gaol of Shrewsbury Castle to be in such a ruinous condition that they had no place of imprisonment for the offenders when captured. In 1442 and again as late as 1535 acts were passed for the protection of Shropshire against the Welsh.

Medieval national affairs

Apart from the border warfare in which they were constantly engaged, the great Shropshire lords were actively concerned in the more national struggles. Shrewsbury Castle was garrisoned for the empress Maud by William Fitz-Alan in 1138, but was captured by KingStephenin the same year.Holgate Castlewas taken by KingJohnfromThomas Mauduit,one of the rebellious barons.

Ludlow and Shrewsbury were both held for a time bySimon de Montfort.AtActon Burnellin 1283 was held the parliament which passed the famousStatute of Acton Burnell,and a parliament was summoned to meet at Shrewsbury in 1398.

During the Percy rebellion Shrewsbury was in 1403 the site of a battle between the LancastrianHenry IV,andHenry Percy ('Harry Hotspur')of Northumberland. TheBattle of Shrewsburywas fought on 21 July 1403,at what is nowBattlefield,just to the north of present-day Shrewsbury town. The battle resulted in the death of Henry Percy, and a victory to KingHenry IV,who established a chapel at the site to commemorate the fallen.

Religious foundations

The ruined remains ofBuildwas Abbey.

Among theNormanreligious foundations were:

• theCluniacprioryofWenlock,atMuch Wenlock,re-established on theSaxonfoundation byRoger Montgomeryin 1080
• theAugustinianHaughmond Abbeyfounded byWilliam Fitz-Alan
• theCistercianBuildwas Abbey,now a magnificent ruin, founded in 1135 byRoger de Clinton,Bishop of Chester
• theBenedictineShrewsbury Abbey,founded in 1083 byRoger de Montgomerie
• the AugustinianLilleshall Abbey,founded in the reign ofStephen
• the AugustinianWombridge Priory,founded before the reign ofKing Henry I
• the Benedictine priory ofAlberburyfounded byFulk FitzWarinin the 13th century
• and the AugustinianChirbury Prioryfounded in the 13th century.

Hundreds

See also:List of hundreds of England § Shropshire

Shropshire Hundreds in 1832

Hundreds in Englandhad various judicial, fiscal and other local government functions, their importance gradually declining from the end ofmanorialismto the latter part of the 19th century.

The fifteen Shropshire hundreds mentioned in theDomesday Surveywere entirely rearranged in the 12th century, particularly during the 1100-1135 reign ofKing Henry I,and onlyOvers,ShrewsburyandCondoverretained their original names.

The Domesday hundred ofRewesetwas replaced byFord,and the hundred court transferred fromAlberburytoFord.Hodnetwas the meeting-place of the Domesday hundred ofHodnet,which was combined withWrockwardinehundred, the largest of the Domesday hundreds, to form the very large hundred ofBradford,the latter also including part of the Domesday hundred of Pinholle inStaffordshire.The hundred ofBaschurchhad its meeting-place atBaschurchin the time of Edward the Confessor; in the reign ofHenry Iit was represented mainly by the hundred ofPimhill,the meeting-place of which was atPimhill.Oswestrycame to represent the Domesday hundred ofMerset,the hundred court of which was transferred fromMaesburyto Oswestry. The Domesday hundred ofAlnodestreu,abolished in the reign of King Henry I, had its meeting-place at Membrefeld (Morville).It was effectively succeeded byBrimstree.

The Domesday-era hundreds ofCulvestanandPatton,which following the Norman conquest shared theircaputatCorfham Castle,were amalgamated into a new hundred ofMunslowin the reign of Henry I. Later, in the 1189-1199 reign ofRichard I,a large portion was taken out of Munslow to form a new hundred-like liberty for thepriory of Wenlock,which became known as the franchise (or liberty) ofWenlock,and further manors were added to this 'franchise' in the coming centuries.The hundred ofWitteryeffectively becameChirbury.

Leintwardinewas divided amongst various hundreds, largely the new Herefordshire hundred of Wigmore and the new Shropshire hundred ofPurslow(created also fromRinlau), with some manors going towards the new Munslow. The Domesday-era hundred ofConditreformed the basis for the largeStottesdonhundred, which took in manors fromOversand Alnodestreu, and resulted in Overs being divided into two detached parts. Stottesdon also brought across manors from the Staffordshirehundred of Seisdon.Clunhundred was formed upon the ending of theMarcher lordshipthere; it formed part ofMontgomeryshire(and therefore Wales) in 1536, but was brought into Shropshire already in 1546.

Although never formally abolished, the hundreds of England have become obsolete. They lost their remaining administrative and judicial functions in the mid-to-late 19th century, with the last aspects removed from them in 1895 with theLocal Government Act 1894.

Administration

Shropshire was administered by ahigh sheriff,at least from the time of the Norman Conquest, the first Norman sheriff beingWarin the Bald,whose successor wasRainald,and in 1156 the office was held byWilliam Fitzalan,whose account of thefee farmof the county is entered in thepipe rollfor that year (see list atHigh Sheriff of Shropshire). Theshire courtwas held atShrewsbury.A considerable portion of Shropshire was included in theWelsh Marches,the court for the administration of which was held atLudlow.In 1397 the castle of Oswestry with the hundred and eleven towns pertaining thereto, the castle of Isabel with the lordship pertaining thereto, and the castle of Dalaley, were annexed to the principality ofChester.By the statute of 1535 for the abolition of theWelsh Marches,the lordships of Oswestry,Whittington,MaesbrookeandKnockinwere formed into the hundred of Oswestry; the lordship of Ellesmere was joined to the hundred of Pimhill; and the lordship of Down to the hundred of Chirbury.

The boundaries of Shropshire have otherwise varied little since theDomesday Booksurvey.Richard's CastleandLudford,however were then included in theHerefordshirehundred of Cutestornes, while several manors now inHerefordshirewere assessed under Shropshire. The Shropshire manors ofKings Nordley,Alveley,ClaverleyandWorfieldwere assessed in the Domesday hundred of Saisdon inStaffordshire;and Quatt,Romsley,RudgeandShipleyappear under theWarwickshirehundred of Stanlei.

Ecclesiastical organisation

Shropshire in the 13th century was situated almost entirely in thediocese of Herefordanddiocese of Coventry and Lichfield;forming thearchdeaconriesofShropshireandSalop.That portion of the county in the Hereford diocese, the archdeaconry of Shropshire, included thedeaneriesofBurford,Stottesdon,Ludlow,Pontesbury,ClunandWenlock;and that portion in the Coventry and Lichfield diocese, the archdeaconry of Salop, the deaneries ofSalopandNewport.

In 1535 the Hereford portion included the additional deanery ofBridgnorth;it now, since 1876, forms the archdeaconry of Ludlow, with the additional deaneries of Pontesbury, Bishops Castle,Condover,and Church Stretton. The archdeaconry of Salop, now entirely in the Lichfield diocese, includes the deaneries of Edgmond, Ellesmere, Hodnet,Shifnal,Shrewsbury,Wem,Whitchurchand Wrockwardine. Part of Shropshire was included in the Welshdiocese of St Asaphuntil thedisestablishment of the Church in Wales(1920), comprising the deanery ofOswestryin the archdeaconry of Montgomery, and twoparishesin the deanery ofLlangollenand the archdeaconry ofWrexham.Certain parishes inMontgomeryshire,namelyChurchstoke,Hyssington,LeightonandTrelystan,chose to remain in the Church of England

English Civil War

Main article:Shropshire in the English Civil War

On the outbreak of the Civil War of the 17th century the Shropshire gentry for the most part declared for theKing,who visited Shrewsbury in 1642 and received valuable contributions in plate and money from the inhabitants. A mint and printing-press were set up at Shrewsbury, which became a refuge for the neighbouring royalist gentry. Wem, the first place to declare for Parliament, was garrisoned in 1643. Shrewsbury was forced to surrender in 1645, and the royalist strongholds of Ludlow and Bridgnorth were captured in 1646, the latter after a four weeks' siege, during which the governor burnt part of the town for defence against Parliamentary troops.

Commerce and industry

The earliest industries of Shropshire took their rise from its abundant natural resources; the rivers supplying valuable fisheries; the vast forest areas abundance of timber; while the mineral products of the county had been exploited from remote times. The Domesday Survey mentions salt-works atDitton Priors,Caynhamand Donnington. The lead mines of Shelve andStiperstoneswere worked by the Romans, and in 1220 Robert Corbett conferred on Shrewsbury Abbey a tithe of his lead from the mine at Shelve.

In 1260 licence was granted to dig coal in theClee Hills,and in 1291 the abbot ofWigmorereceived the profits of a coal mine at Caynham. Iron was dug in the Clee Hills and atWombridgein the 16th century. Wenlock had a famous copper-mine in the reign ofRichard II,and in the 16th century was noted for its limestone.

As the forest areas were gradually cleared and brought under cultivation, the county became more exclusively agricultural. In 1343 Shropshire wool was rated at a higher value than that of almost any other English county, and in the 13th and 14th centuries Buildwas monastery exported wool to the Italian markets. Shropshire had never been distinguished for any characteristic manufactures, but a prosperous clothing trade arose about Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth, and Oswestry was famous in the 16th century for its "Welsh cottons",cheap woolen cloth in which the nap was raised, or "cottoned" by carding.

The Industrial Revolution

Ditherington Flaxmill

Shropshire is the "geological capital"of theUK,as just about every rock type in Northern Europe is found within its borders, as arecoal,lead,copperandiron oredeposits. In addition to this, theRiver Severnflows through the county and has been used for the transportation of goods and services for centuries. A result of this was that theIronbridge Gorgebecame a focal point of new industrial energies in the 18th century.Coalbrookdale,a small area of the Gorge, has been claimed as the birthplace of theIndustrial Revolution,because ofAbraham Darby I's development ofcoke-smelting andironfoundingthere in the early 18th century.

The towns ofBroseleyandMadeleywere centres of innovation during the late 18th century. InBroseley,John Wilkinsonpioneeredprecision engineeringby providing cylinders for Boulton and Watt's improved steam engines, and by boring cannons with greater accuracy and range. He also constructed the first iron boat, launched in 1787. It was in nearby locations where key events of the Industrial Revolution took place. Coalbrookdale is where modernironsmelting techniques were developed,Ironbridgeis where the world's firstiron bridgewas constructed in 1779, to link Broseley with Madeley and theBlack Country,andDitheringtonin Shrewsbury is where the world's first iron framed building was built, theDitherington Flaxmill.Other places notable for early industry areJackfieldfor tiles andCoalportfor china.

Later, Broseley and Madeley became notable for their continuation of trade in the field of bricks and tiles, which became a staple to the booming building trade, and millions of Broseleyclay pipeswere exported across the British Empire.

References

Attribution:

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Shropshire".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 1020–1022.

External links

• Victoria County History for Shropshire:full-text versions of several volumes, on British History Online.
• Maps of the parishes and hundreds of ShropshireArchived19 April 2014 at theWayback Machine(c. 1830) by Alex Middleton (2011)